Reunited
by Lauraesque
Summary: When class SSS moved on from the afterlife, they believed they would never again look into the eyes of their closest friends. But destiny decided otherwise, and weaved their paths together in a way that was more direct than they could have ever wished for. But what brought them together may just be the exact same thing that tears them apart. [CURRENTLY ON HIATUS]
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, I'm back with a new story. I've actually planned this one out to avoid writers block like last time. It's my first anime fic so I'm sorry if anything about Japanese culture is off, point it out to me and I'll be happy to change anything. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 1

 **Kumiko Hisakawa**

My name is Kumiko. It means 'braid', as in to bring things together. That's what I like to think anyway, that my mother didn't just name me that because she liked plaits. It suits me a lot better than I ever thought it would, because I did in fact bring something very beautiful together a long time ago.

Oyama is smiling up at me, his bright emerald eyes locked on mine – though I don't look back at him. This has always been how we walk. He focuses on me, and I focus on where we're going. It helps him concentrate on the conversation, or so I think. Perhaps he just wants to seem friendlier.  
"Hisakawa, have you decided on what you're going to do for your sixteenth birthday?" His voice finally breaks through my trail of thought. I realize I've accidentally been ignoring my friend for the past five minutes. I give him a small smile and shrug, looking back at him for a second before tipping my head back to glance up at the orange morning sky.  
"I guess I'll just invite a few friends round." I say, clearly disinterested. I've never really been that bothered with birthdays. Or growing up. I'd stay as a kid forever in a heartbeat.  
"Hey, you want to go for coffee after school?" I ask Oyama, snickering to myself at the rosy blush that flushes over his cheeks. Oyama and I have been friends for as long as I remember. I think I liked how refreshingly normal he is. He doesn't try to be quirky, or bend over backwards to be unique. He's completely himself and he's completely ordinary and that's okay. Don't get me wrong, I love unique. I just don't love that some girls refuse to ever where dresses because they 'don't want to be like those other girls'. Or people who forbid themselves from enjoying any music from the top forty because it's too mainstream. I wish people would just be themselves, who cares if that means there's a million others who act similarly. Nobody's going to be the exact same anyway.  
When we arrive at the school I tug at my thigh highs which seem to have slipped on the way there and I tuck the strands of hair that have fallen from my hair bun behind my ears. I sigh deeply and bid Oyama goodbye before turning left down the hallway. Like usual, the school smells of cheap perfume, sweat and disinfectant. I make my way to the arts block; I have drama first period and that's wear the rest of my friends usually hang out. My eyelids are drooping from exhaustion and I'm starting to wish I had asked Oyama to get coffee with me this morning rather than this afternoon. I'm an idiot. The shiny black floors of the arts block squeak as I drag my feet along them, scuffing my clunky patent mary janes as I walk.  
"Hisakawa!"  
I turn my head to see a whoosh of pink hair as the familiar small girl darts from behind me to my left side. I instantly feel my spirits lift a little. This girl was so energetic, maybe some of her enthusiasm would rub off on me.  
"Oh, hey Yui." I nod friendlily at the lightning bolt of a human and tuck my thumbs in the waistband of my school skirt. Our uniforms are depressing and grey, the only colourful thing about them is the bold red tie we wear over our white shirts but under our black, buttoned waistcoats. Yui has brightened her uniform by decorating it with pin badges of bands she likes. It's a nice touch. "How's it going, sparkles?"  
Another reason Oyama is considered to be my best friend: he's the only one I haven't given a borderline offensive nickname.  
"Good, I'm on my way over to band practice now. You wan't to come? Iwasawa-san has recruited a new guitarist, apparently. Sounds like she only just moved here."  
"I'll bite." I nod. If she hadn't told me about the arrival of the newbie, I probably would have passed. But hey, the sound a new guitarist for Girl's Dead Monster has piqued my curiosity.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kumiko Hisakawa**

Oh my. The new girl is absolutely stunning. Her eyes are like clouds but you only get to see them when she's jumping around while strumming her guitar because she's got this long fringe that flops over them and oh dear someone help me.  
"Hey, who are you?" The girl asks, holding her water bottle at an angle so the water splashed around. It sort of looked like how my stomach felt. Why is she so cool and confident? I thought she was the newbie, not me?  
"I-I'm Hisakawa, uh, Kumiko Hisakawa." I try to make myself sound as casual as possible but it just comes out strained. I decide to remove myself from the situation before I abandon any shred of heterosexuality I have left.  
"Well, I gotta get to class. It was nice meeting you…" I stretch out the 'you' in the hopes she will tell me her name so I can play it over and over in my head.  
"Hisako." She nods and I glance at her one last time before I push past the practice room doors and into the corridor. To my irritation, Iwasawa steps after me.  
"What?" I grumble, looking at her expectantly. That was cold, even for me. But my little display back there has damaged my pride and it makes me want to lash out at everyone. Guilt seeps through my bones when I see a flash of hurt in her hot red eyes.  
"Nothing, It's just, you weren't your usual, charming self back there. Are you alright?" She looks at me with genuine concern and now I feel terrible for snapping at her.  
"Sorry, I'm just tired. What do you mean 'charming'?" I cock an eyebrow at her curiously.  
"Oh you know. You've got that whole 'cool, confident' thing going on."  
"Oh and you haven't?"  
She chuckles and I instantly feel better. Not just because I made her laugh, but because when Iwasawa laughs you know you've said something right.  
"See you around, then." I've never managed to pick a nickname for Iwasawa either. I suppose we're too alike for me to make fun of her.

Classes drag by painfully slowly. I silently debate to myself whether I would rather kill everyone else or kill myself. I even make a pros and cons list in my mind.  
Killing everyone else:  
Pros: Satisfying. Don't have to cause myself physical pain.  
Cons: I have to kill people I'm fairly fond of. Effort.  
Killing Myself:  
Pros: Also satisfying. I don't have to kill people I'm fairly fond of.  
Cons: Physical pain to me. Also effort.  
When the day finally ends, I'm bloody glad to see Oyama.  
"Hey, this isn't a date, right?" He asks, his emerald eyes looking at my face, glassy with worry.  
"No, it's the same as every time we go to get coffee." I tell him for the hundredth time. No, Oyama does not have a crush on me. He's just terrified of hurting people's feelings so he has to check. He is especially scared of hurting my feelings, because I don't have that many and if you've tampered with them you know you done fucked up.

Well anyway, I thought it was going to be the same as every time we get coffee but it turns out it wasn't, because a boy with teal hair spilt coffee all down my shirt. Now I sigh in exasperation as he rubs my school shirt with 12 paper towels, even though all it's really doing is jiggling my boobs and that's pretty uncomfortable. I give Oyama a 'what the hey-hey is this guy doing exactly?' look and he just shrugs in response.  
"I'm so sorry, so sorry!" he repeats.  
"Hey, chill. It's just coffee." I tell him, praying he'll just step back and leave well enough alone. He sighs in relief and drops the napkins.  
"Thanks, I really am sorry, miss…" he drags out the 's' to ask for my name, but I'm sort of spacing out and not entirely registering what he's saying.  
Oyama knows I do this sometimes so he decides to step in.  
"Her name is Hisakawa." He smiles and gives a polite nod. "And I'm Oyama."  
"I wasn't talking to you." The green-haired boy snaps at Oyama, cold all of a sudden. Now this I register.  
"Hey, don't be rude, whatever your name is." I grumble and take a sip of my coffee.  
"It's Naoi. Ayato. Ayato Naoi." He jumbles up his words. I'm still a little icy after he snapped at Oyama so I say "I didn't ask, but whatever." Which I will probably regret later because he gives me these SAD puppy dog eyes and I note that there is only one free table left and ask him if he wants to sit with us. I remember one time Oyama asked me why I was so cold if I just felt guilty about it afterwards and I told him the guilt is the thing that makes me a good person. I wonder if that's true. I guess it must be, because it made me a friend today, that's for sure.


	3. Chapter 3

So this Naoi seems pretty attached to me. I guess that's okay, I mean it balances out how detached I am anyway. I nod supportively as Oyama tells a story about this one girl who got into some serious trouble in his English Lit class while Naoi drums his fingers in disinterest. He only perks up when I speak, which is not often. I know it's not fair of me to say this, I should still be pissed that he was being so cold to Oyama. But then again it's no worse than I can be, and it… felt good to be singled out. It made me feel special. The way Naoi's eyes follow me, how attentive he is to my every word.  
"I'm sorry!" Naoi grabs my sleeve, pulling me back as Oyama exits the café, separating from Kumiko to head home like usual.  
"For what?" I ask, puzzled.  
"I didn't mean to suck up to you so much today."  
Ah. So he does realize he does that.  
"Uh… It's cool." I nod and his worried face softens.  
"See that's why. You were so chilled about me spilling coffee over you, so laid back. Most people I know would have shouted at me or worse. I-I'm sorry for being rude to your friend, that's just… what I'm used to doing I guess."  
"You want to come with me to do my rounds of the hospital?" I smile gently.  
"You volunteer at the hospital?"  
"Yeah, don't tell Oyama."  
God forbid my friends find out I have a heart.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ayato Naoi and I walk in silence to the bus stop, it's not an awkward silence though - as far as I can tell. I usually prefer not to talk, so I don't really know if it's awkward for the other person or not. Oyama likes to fill my silence with chat. He talks about the most random things; anything from TV shows he's watching, to the European economy (which I couldn't be less interested in. Sorry, Europe. You're cool but I don't want to know about the declining value of the Euro).  
But Naoi, like me, doesn't talk. Instead, he watches me, curious. his cautious green eyes glance at me from under his teal fringe.

We stop at the bus station, and Naoi looks at me like there is something he wants to know, but is refraining from asking. I pay for both our fares and eventually become irritated by his constant gaze.  
"What!?" I snap, folding my arms across my chest.  
"Miss Hisakawa, why don't you want your friend to know you volunteer at the hospital? You don't want him to think of you as kind?" His eyes are filled with curiosity and concern, which annoys me a little. I don't need pity.  
"That's just the way I am Naoi."  
The best way not to get your heart broken is to pretend you don't have one. To my relief, he nods and doesn't pressure me with any further questions. When we arrive at the hospital, I use my ID card to go through the back entrance; I hate the attention of patients sitting in the waiting room up front.

"Oh, Hey, Hisakawa." I look up to see my friend Otonashi wave at me, his warm, burgundy eyes sparkling with happiness. He's always in such a good mood; he says helping people is sure to put a smile on his face. He's probably the kindest person you've ever met. Like, really, he's so kind that even I have trouble finding fault with him. "Who's this?"  
"This is Naoi. He's going to help me on my rounds today. Naoi, this is Otonashi." I gesture to them both in turn.  
Naoi actually flashes Otonashi a smile, which is a huge improvement from the way he treated Oyama.  
"I'll just take him to get a visitors badge while you go to get changed then. Kanade just arrived too, she's in the changing rooms now."  
"Okay, thanks Otonashi. I'll see you in a minute Naoi, and be nice."  
I swear every second I spend with Naoi he feels more like my pet puppy rather than a stranger I met about an hour ago. Otonashi chuckles - he thinks I'm joking.

I knock on the door so Tachibana isn't alarmed when I walk in. She's in the process of pulling her blue pinstripe pinafore over her polo shirt when I arrive.  
"Hello Hisakawa." She gives me a polite nod, pinning her 'volunteer' badge to her uniform before tying her silver hair into a bun. I smile back and turn around to begin unbuttoning my school uniform. I notice Tachibana hasn't left, she's waiting for me, so I quicken my pace as not to keep her waiting too long.  
"Thank you." I dip my head , grateful, and she beams back at me. There is nobody else I am as polite to as I am to Kanade Tachibane. We have a sort of quiet friendship. We enjoy each-other's company without the need for gossip, or even common interests. The only times we talk properly is when I'm in a specially bad mood and she wants to check I'm okay. Tachibana seems to be the only one who can sense when I'm in a bad mood. Most people just assume I'm always in a bad mood - but on the contrary, I'm pretty much neutral 98% of the time.  
"HISAKAWA!" Someone screeches at me as we exit the changing room. "Will you please help me out here?"

 **To StardustNyako: I'm glad you like Hisakawa, despite her rather obvious flaws, but I guess in some ways she tries so hard to be mean its adorable. I wonder what the ship name for Hisako and her would be? As for her committing mass genocide, well - as revealed in this chapter - she's actually got a soft side (Somewhere, Kumiko Hisakawa screams). She wants to help people and, though she likes to think otherwise, I doubt she could bring herself to take the life of another. I think we're safe from that happening, but it would be quite a strange plot twist, wouldn't it?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Apologies for my lack of updating. I've been struggling to find time for myself recently. But never mind that, on with the story!**

Naoi was, surprisingly, rather good at this whole nurse business. The screeching voice had belonged to nurse Sekine, she wanted me to calm down a patient who had gone psycho on her. Something about having to get back to the 'most important game of the season'. To cut a long story short, I ended up knocking him out when he refused to be reasoned with. Now you might think 'But Hisakawa, you work at a hospital! You should be helping patients, not knocking them out with bedpans!', but this stuff is kind of standard at our crazy hospital. Normally, drugs would have been used to render the patient unconscious, but he was out of bed, and honestly: I'd pick being knocked out by a small metal toilet over be injected with a horrifying needle any day. Naoi was now gingerly pressing a cold compress to the patients head, dampening his royal blue hair as droplets of condensation spilled onto his forehead.

When another issue arose somewhere else in the building, Naoi was called instead of me and I was charged with the iridescently haired patient so we could 'make up when he awoke' as Tachibana had quietly said, winning a smile and a nod of agreement from Saint Otonashi. I sit down next to the unconscious boy and stare at him, because there is absolutely nothing else to do. One of his eyelids is half open (gross.) and I can see that the fantastic blue of his hair could be matched only by his own eye colour.  
"Shall I go get us coffee?" I ask the unmoving body. I take the silence as a 'yes'.

When I return, a cup of watery, canteen-bought coffee in either hand - I am surprised to see the patient wide awake and sitting upright in the hospital bed.  
"You're awake." I state simply, placing a paper cup of steaming liquid on his bedside table. "Drink that quickly, I'll be in trouble if they find out I bought you coffee."  
"Well, you do show a certain disregard for the rules now, don't you?" He responds, his voice dripping with sass. ugh. He picked up the coffee though, and took a long gulp with his blue eyes closed in appreciation for the warm drink.  
"There's no rule that says I can't hit a crazy bitch when necessary." I retort, eyes narrowing as I bring my own cup to my lips. He chuckles at that, broad shoulders bouncing up and down merrily.  
"Yeah, I am sorry about that. I wasn't thinking clearly." He sighs into his cup. Really? He was apologizing? And I hadn't even said sorry for knocking him out.  
"I'm sorry I knocked you out." My face flushes as I spit out my words with haste.  
"With a makeshift toilet." he adds.  
"With a bedpan." I nod.  
The he starts to laugh. His eyes wrinkle at the corners and his stomach twitched with every sharp intake of breath.  
"I can't believe you knocked me out with a toilet!" he splutters, pinching the bridge of his nose in a sad attempt to stifle a snort.  
I silently wait for him to calm down, his hysterical laugh dwindles into a pleasant giggle and he wipes a tear from the corner of a shockingly blue eye. It was kind of nice to see him laugh like that, and the corners of my lips twitch into a smile.  
"How does your leg feel?" I ask, moving the conversation swiftly onward. I had been informed that he had fallen most awkwardly during a football match and had to be carried away on a stretcher. He shrugs and shuffles in the bed, as if the mention of his leg had caused it to agitate him.  
"A bit better now." he says, nose crinkling "the cast is itchy though."  
When he finishes his coffee, he stretches his arm to me, grinning cheekily as if to say 'it's partially your fault that I'm still bedridden so you can get of your ass to get me a refill.'

I comply out of guilt.


	6. Chapter 6

I wait with the blue-haired boy, drinking coffee and listening to him tell me stories about his football team, until he's finally discharged.  
"I don't think it's really necessary to explain how to use these." I pass him a pair of metal crutches. He easily slots his arms into the braces and shifts his weight so he's able to hobble along the linoleum halls of the hospital and I am once again amazed that we are supposed to explain to patients how to use these. "you want me to walk you out? now that you've been discharged I'm free to go." I give him a small smile, and he smiles back and nods in response. We are silent during the walk to the reception, the only audible noise is the sound of his crutches tap-tap-tapping along the floor.  
"Well," He exhales and relaxes his shoulders which had been hunched up while we were walk/shuffling along the corridor. "thanks for the coffee."  
"Thanks for not reporting me to the police." I say, and he laughs again.  
"Hey, can I have your number?"  
I'm surprised by the question, and I study his face to check he's not hitting on me. His eyes are still the same sparkling blue; his smile still small and friendly. I decide I don't care, and I pull out a pen and crouch down to write my number on his cast. I sign it with my name, because I realize that he never asked. His head cocks to the side, inquisitive of my actions, and I say "free advertising." which he seems to find amusing. I bid him farewell and turn back to find Naoi and get changed.

I wander around a bit before finding him chatting enthusiastically to Otonashi, who has Tachibana tucked happily underneath his arm. They are - dare I say it - rather cute. I am shocked to see Naoi getting on so smoothly with someone though. I mean, he snapped at _Oyama_ , and he's as nice as they come. Then again, it's even more difficult to dislike Otonashi; he's kind, funny and pretty much everything anyone would want in friend.  
"Hi Hisakawa!" the aforementioned Saint calls to me upon noticing my entry. I give him a friendly (well as friendly as I get) wave and turn to Naoi.  
"I'm just gonna go get changed and then we have to jet." I point a thumb over my shoulder with a small sigh. He gives me a ridiculously bright smile and stands up before stumbling cutely to my side.  
"See you guys!" he waves and then we traipse towards the changing rooms where I had left my clothing earlier. Naoi waits, patient, on the other side of the changing room as I wriggle back into my school uniform. I straighten the red tie and tuck my side-bangs behind my ears. With a heavy sigh, I toss my pinstriped volunteer's pinafore into the washbin and spin back to the door, startling Naoi by opening the heavy thing so quickly. He brushes his fingers through his fringe and nods at me.  
"Ready?"  
I nod back. I'm really tired.

"Hey, Hisakawa, we're almost there." A voice pierces the silence of my unconsciousness. Oh God. Dear Lord. I didn't really...?  
I lift my head sleepily. I did. I fell asleep on Naoi's shoulder. I fell asleep on the shoulder of someone I met that very day. My face floods scarlet and Naoi raises a concerned eyebrow at me. He dismisses my peculiar reaction, however, and starts to explain "We're just coming up to the stop outside Starbucks but mine is a couple more ahead." He frowns, peering over the seat in front, anxious that he'll miss his stop.  
"Will you walk home with me?" _what the fuck am I saying? Why am I so needy when I'm tired? This is disgusting.  
_ But the thought of walking home, in the dark, alone... doesn't make me feel so good. Don't get me wrong, I can handle myself just fine! But in my vulnerable, sleepy state... I'd rather have a friend by my side. A friend. That was right, I had made two friends that day... That was unusual for me. I'm getting too tired to process my thoughts. I seem to have even less energy than usual today, and I've had a total of four cups of coffee (sure, 3 of them were basically water, but oh well.)  
"This stop." I yawn, and Naoi stands to lead me safely from the quiet bus. I watch the ghostly-lit bus trundle into the distance and I feel my soul sink as it disappears. There's something reassuring about buses. I dig my frozen fingers into the pockets of my grey, knit cardigan and watch as the clouds of my breath swirl up into the streetlights. The spirals of steam look like dancers. Glimmers of heat in a numbing coldness, they twirl up and up until they disappear into the atmosphere.  
"Er, Hisakawa-san, you're going to have to lead the way..." Naoi's voice shatters my abeyance once again and I turn back to him and smile reassuringly.  
"Sorry, I fazed out."  
He dips his head understandingly and then I lead him along the thin sidewalk. I wonder what it would be like to watch us fade into the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I have an announcement which could be perceived as good or bad, depending how you look at it. I'm going to be leaving this story for a while to work on something big, which I have been planning for a long time now. If you like Attack On Titan - specifically JeanMarco (but everyone likes JeanMarco, so...) then you're in luck! It's going to be my first fic where I really flex my writing skills; the chapters are going to be long and more developed, drafted and re-drafted, and I'm basically planning to pour my soul into this fic. So unfortunately, Reunited will be on Hiatus for some time. But, do not fret! I have the perfect plot for this story and I am very excited to put it into action, so keep your eyes peeled and I'll be back to the world of Angel Beats before you know it!**


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